Tohka's Present
by Azurknight
Summary: The prequel to Tohka's Anticipation. A Xmas themed romance for Tohka and Shido.


Tohka's Present

It has been three months since their wedding, and Shido and Tohka are enjoying their marriage to the fullest. At the moment, the young married couple is looking at a large tree in the city that has been decorated with many bright lights, ornaments, tinsel, and a bright gold star atop it. The city is covered with snow, the midday sky is grey with the clouds, and the snow continues to fall from the sky. The look of Christmas is very present, as it is December 23. Tohka is snuggled against her husband and has a big smile on her face as she gazes at the beauty of the tree. The area is also filled with couples besides the two. Tohka is wearing a long purple coat with a fur collar, black pants, purple snow boots, and black gloves; Shido is wearing a grey coat with black pants and simple white shoes. Tohka, still in awe, compliments the majesty of the site.

"It's so pretty."

Shido rubs the side of Tohka's head and replies.

"It sure is."

Tohka then has an idea, so she pulls her head back and meets gazes with her husband as she says.

"We should get some of this stuff for our home, and make it pretty there too."

Shido thinks it would be fun to decorate their home for the holiday, so they go for some shopping. At the shopping center, Tohka and Shido are picking out lights, decorations, and even getting a small tree. While choosing decorations, Tohka sees something she's been curious about for a while now. She sees a small decoration and asks about it.

"Hey Shido, who's the large man wearing red?"

Shido sees what she's referring to, and explains it.

"Oh, that's Santa Claus. He's a famous Christmas figure."

Tohka is curious about this and asks about what he does. So Shido tells her about how he delivers presents to good boys and girls all over the world. Tohka, then wonders.

"Well, why hasn't he given us any gifts?"

Shido never thought he'd have to have "the talk" with someone as old as Tohka, but he puts in the kindest way possible.

"Tohka, he isn't real. He's made up because it's fun for kids. From what I hear, in other countries, kids leave him cookies and milk. Their parents eat them so that they think he did."

Tohka has a slightly confused look, but she then comes up with an idea.

"Shido, when we have a child, I don't want him or her to be lied to, so I think we should avoid this."

Shido is prepared to tell Tohka that since they don't celebrate Christmas, or at least like others do, that it really wouldn't become an issue. However, he just leaves it alone. But that may be tougher, considering that Tohka raises another question.

"Speaking of giving, what did you get me, Shido?"

Tohka has a glint in her eye as she has a smile and an expecting look on her face. Shido didn't know that she expected him to get her a gift. So he puts on a forced smile and answers.

"Well…that's supposed to be a secret, hehe?"

Tohka gives her husband an innocent look with slightly pleading eyes.

"Oh, you can't give me a hint?"

Shido can't deny Tohka what she wants when she gives him that look, but he doesn't have anything to give her.

"Uh, well…it's something that I know you'll like."

"That's too vague. Give me a good hint."

"I can't, otherwise that would ruin it."

Tohka turns around and has her cheeks puffed with a slightly angry look.

"Fine, then I won't say anything about what I got you."

Tohka leaves the store, leaving Shido with the decorations they picked out together. Shido just heard her say that she already got him something; this makes him feel like inadequate.

" _She got me something? If she went through that much trouble, then I'll make sure that she gets the present she deserves."_

Shido resolves to get Tohka a great Christmas present. First, he returns to their home, where he expects Tohka to be, and she is. She still has her sour looks from earlier but that changes once Shido holds the bag of decorations in front of her and says.

"Didn't you say we should make our home look pretty?"

Tohka's red ribbon wiggles once she hears those words, and says.

"Well, yeah, I did."

"Good, then let's make this place drip with holiday spirit."

The young married couple begins to hang up various decorations in their home, making it look very much like Christmas. The home soon becomes a warmer home filled to the brim with various decorations of green, red, and Gold. They even put up a small tree in the living room, and put up a star that has a small Sandalphon for the top point of the star. This takes around two hours to finish, and when they finish, Tohka decides to take a bath. While his wife bathes, Shido decides that this would be a good time to go out and look for a present for Tohka. He leaves her a note saying that he's going to pickup stuff for Christmas cookies (which he will pick up). For caution, Shido calls Kotori for backup since he may need some help buying more time. He casually calls her.

"Hey, Kotori, I need your help today."

Kotori is at her own home, sucking on a candy cane, and is lazing around on the couch, watching TV as she talks with her brother.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I didn't get Tohka a present, so I need you to come to my place, and keep her distracted while I'm out."

Kotori's eyes widen since she realizes what could happen if Tohka finds out that her husband neglected her on the holiday.

"Shido, you can be a real idiot sometimes, you know that?"

Shido starts getting more agitated.

"Come on, I thought we were only going to have a cake or something. I took care of that."

Kotori gets a more suspicious tone.

"My question is: did you get me anything?"

Shido stops dead in his tracks with his phone still planted on his ear.

" _OH-COME-ON!"_

"I'll take that as a no. You're lucky you're my brother, but that doesn't mean that this is going to be a freebie."

"Fine, I'll get you something."

"Don't bother. However, when you two decide to give me a niece or nephew, I pick the name."

"You really drive a hard bargain, Kotori, but fine."

"Good, then we have an understanding."

Shido ends the phone call and wonders.

"Why does Kotori want to name my first kid for? I guess it won't hurt."

Shido starts looking through various stores to try to find a gift for Tohka. He looks at stuffed animals in a couple of toy stores. He notices that Tohka still likes to cuddle with her bread plushie whenever she falls asleep on the couch while waiting for him to come home. However, she likes it too much for it to be replaced, so he scratches out this idea.

Not too long after this, Shido bumps into Reine, who is sipping down a cup of coffee (and I mean that loosely) that has sugar up to the rim of the cup. She is wearing her usual attire despite the cold and the snow. As usual, Reine appears to be tired and greets Shido.

"Hello, Shin."

Shido didn't expect to see her today, but none-the-less, he greets her back despite his concerns.

"Oh, hey, Reine; out for some coffee, huh?"

Reine stirs her coffee some more.

"Yeah, the coffee shop is selling sugar cookie flavored coffee this month, so I thought the extra sugar would help."

Shido looks at the ultra sugary drink and thinks.

" _I hope they sell insulin with those drinks."_

"So, what brings you here today, Shin?"

Shido thinks that Reine may actually be able to help him, so he tells her the details of the situation. She takes another sip of her beverage, and suggests.

"Why not just get her some food cards or something?"

Shido does know that Tohka loves food, but he replies.

"Tohka, is my wife, not my pet pig. I think she deserves something better than just food."

"Point taken; then how about a pet pig? They do make good pets, and are cleaner than their given credit for."

"A pet pig? That's…not actually a bad idea. No, we'll have a kid before a pet. I think Tohka would prefer it that way first."

"Then how about you…"

Reine is about to suggest something, but Shido interrupts with a slight blush since he knows what she's going to suggest.

"Reine, before you suggest that, please keep in mind that there are children here."

Reine continues drinking and retorts.

"I was actually going to suggest getting her some new clothes."

Shido feels embarrassed now since he did have his mind in the gutter. Reine then says.

"Look, if you want, I can help you out."

Shido appreciates the sentiment, but he politely declines.

"Thanks Reine, but I think that if it truly mean anything, then I should find it myself. But I really do appreciate the thought."

Reine then leaves without another word. Shido gets back to his search to find Tohka a wonderful present.

Back at Shido and Tohka's home, Kotori arrives with a carton of eggnog. She figures that since Tohka seems to be into the Christmas thing, then she should bring a beverage that fits the holiday. She has another candy cane in her mouth as she enters the decorated residence, and thinks.

" _I feel like getting in one of those old Christmas movies with the puppets."_

Luckily, Kotori didn't bring a regular carton of eggnog, rather she had it prepared a little special. Tohka is in another room picking out her clothes since she only recently finished her bath. She enters the room wearing cream colored shorts with a green sweater with a snowman on it. She intends to tell Shido that she can't stay mad at him, and when she sees that he's not home anymore, she gets a little depressed. Kotori is the kitchen so Tohka can't see her yet. She is getting a glass for Tohka so that she can drink the eggnog that she (Kotori) has brought over. Tohka turns the heat up and sits down on the couch to watch TV feeling like she upset her husband a little. Kotori greets her sister-in-law with a casual.

"Hey, Tohka, or should I say, Big Sis?"

Tohka is a little surprised by Kotori's entrance, but remembers that Kotori does have a key to get in, so she greets her back.

"Hey, Kotori, or should I say, Little sister."

The girls chuckle a little. Since the wedding, the two have made jokes about being sisters. Kotori rather likes having Tohka as a sister, and Tohka feels the same. Kotori presents the glass of eggnog to Tohka and casually says.

"Here, take a sip."

Tohka hasn't tasted eggnog yet, so she is curious from the scent. She takes the glass and gets curious about it.

"What is this, milk? Or is it cream? No, it could be a milkshake."

Kotori giggles a little as she explains.

"It's eggnog. People drink this stuff at Christmas, so I thought you'd like some."

Tohka takes a sip and immediately takes a liking to the creamy beverage. She asks.

"This is so sweet. What's it made of?"

Kotori thinks for a second while Tohka starts chugging the glass.

"Well, I think it's made out of sugar, eggs, milk, and (clears throat) spirits."

Tohka doesn't catch that last word since she is enjoying her drink too much to notice. She finishes and asks for more. Kotori then thinks to herself.

" _I wonder if Spirits have a higher tolerance than humans."_

Tohka drinks a couple more cups, and her face starts to turn a little red. She then starts getting a more flushed smile, looks at Kotori, and says.

"I have a few more questions about Santa Claus, Kotori."

Back to Shido, he is running out of places to look for a gift for Tohka. He is feeling depressed that he cannot find a gift that would be good enough for his wife. He takes a seat on a bench outside in the snowy weather.

" _Why is this so hard? I can't find a good present for Tohka. Why can't this be as easy as my first date with her? And even that wasn't all easy."_

Shido remembers his first date with Tohka. He remembers the weird things that happened that day. Like going to the restaurant, Ratatoskr setting up all those food stands, Tohka and Shido getting her the bread pillow from the claw game, and he even remembers getting shot. The last memory isn't exactly good, and it even led to Tohka nearly causing massive damage. But those days are over, or at least Shido hopes that they are. He just wants to live a normal life with Tohka and their three months of marriage, as well as their engagement and time prior, have been relatively peaceful. Thinking about the time he has spent with Tohka makes him smile.

" _You know, I should come clean. I'll apologize to her, tell her I love her, and that I'll make it up to her. If I'm lucky, I may just be able to kiss her."_

Shido decides to tell Tohka he couldn't find her anything and hopes for the best, but he trusts his wife and knows her well enough. As he makes his way home, Shido bumps into Reine again, and she has another cup of sugar filled coffee in her hand. Since he is better mood, Shido happily greets her again.

"Hey, Reine, another sugar cookie coffee, huh?"

Reine looks at her cup and responds.

"No, this is white-chocolate raspberry flavor, another monthly special."

Reine reaches into her coat pocket and hands Shido a small box. He looks inside and it is a small device. He is confused as to what it is, and asks.

"What is this thing?"

The small device is shaped like the holder of a snow globe without the snow globe. Reine pushes a small button on the top of the device and a small orb of light appears where the globe would actually go. Shido looks carefully at the light, and then he begins to see something; a short video of him and Tohka on their first date. The moment when he told her he was having a good time, then the moment of them winning her the bread pillow, and then their kiss at the hill when she thought Shido was leaving her, but he wasn't, and then moments of their wedding begin to play. The moment when they kissed and sealed their marriage, Tohka shed a single tear of joy at that moment, and then the final scene is of them slicing the wedding cake with a small Sandalphon. Shido is beyond words, and Reine tells him.

"Tohka means a lot to you. So, this is something to remind her of your happy times with her."

Shido is grateful and hugs Reine out of gratitude, she even nearly drops her coffee.

"Thanks, Reine, now I have something to give her."

Shido grabs the box the device came in, and runs off to get it wrapped. As he runs away with excitement, Reine whispers.

"Merry Christmas, Shido."

Later, Shido is almost home with his present for Tohka wrapped, a small bag of treats, and a content smile. He gets to the door, and opens it. As soon as he does, Kotori runs behind him with a scared look on her face, and she's wearing an elf outfit. Shido takes immediate notice of this and asks, with a very confused tone.

"Uh, Kotori, why are you dressed like that?"

Kotori is nervous as she answers.

"I told Tohka about Santa Claus and his elves, one thing led to another, and before I knew it, she forced me to wear this!"

Shido is curious since this sounds more like something that Miku would do, so he calls for Tohka. She runs to him with red in her face and starts rubbing her face against his, and babbling.

"Shido *hic* I made and elf for *hic* Christmas, but she ran away from me. If I don't *hic* find her, then Santa will get worried."

Shido can smell Tohka's breath and the hiccups are noticeable, so he immediately looks at Kotori and asks, sternly.

"Kotori, what did you give her?"

Kotori, with her bells jingling, shamefully, answers.

"The eggnog you'd find at an office party."

"Why!?"

"I thought she might tell me what she wanted."

Shido is now just baffled.

"You could have just asked her. You didn't have to pump her full of Christmas cheer, and what really confuses me out is that you're the one who's usually good about this."

Shido manages to get Tohka to calm down, and luckily it is nighttime, so Shido manages to get Tohka to go to sleep. Unfortunately for Kotori, Tohka actually tore up her clothes to make her wear the elf outfit, so she has to walk home wearing the ridiculous outfit. In the middle of the night, Shido looks at Tohka sleep with a smile on her face and thinks.

" _To think, I met her under the strangest circumstances. Now we're married, and I plan for this to her be a wonderful couple of days for her."_

Shido and Tohka spent Christmas eve just the two of them. They drank coffee, ate cookies, and just talked for hours. They did watch a couple of bad movies.

Christmas day

Shido and Tohka are alone together again. He hands her the present that Reine helped him get. She is excited, but mischievously says.

"I hope this so good, that you had to keep a secret from your wife."

She slowly unwraps the present while having her eyes on Shido with an expecting look; he just smiles. She opens the box and Shido shows her how it works since she is confused as he was when he saw it. She sees the clips and smiles big. Shido tells her.

"Tohka, you're the most important person in my life, and I'm glad my life has gotten to this point, Merry Christmas."

Tohka starts shedding tears of joy and responds.

"Merry Christmas, Shido."

She then hands Shido a small box. He opens it, and inside is a necklace that is in the shape of her Sandalphon with a picture of her and Shido's wedding kiss as the gem in the hilt guard. He smiles at her and they embrace since they both got presents that represent how much they think of each other. What Tohka didn't tell Shido is that she also got her present from Reine. She met Tohka weeks ago and told her about Christmas and about gifts.

Ten years later

Tohka, Shido, and their children Akihiko and Aiko, are opening presents and eating cake together as a family. Aiko is newborn baby and Akihiko is eight years old. Shido and Tohka have bought plenty of toys for their two children and have added new clips to the present that Shido gave his beloved wife those years ago. Their son, Akihiko, approaches his mother, who is wearing a purple night gown, and hands his mother a small box and tells her.

"Merry Christmas, Mom."

Tohka doesn't open the box yet. Instead, she picks up her son with her free hand and proclaims.

"I love it!'

Akihiko points out.

"But you haven't opened it yet."

Tohka kisses her son on the cheek and says.

"It doesn't matter, because I love you too much to say anything else."

Shido watches his wife be playful with their son. He also looks at his baby daughter and sees that she's giggling in her little cream colored pajamas. His family doesn't celebrate it like others, but he enjoys watching them be so happy, and since that day ten years ago, Tohka has never drunk another glass of eggnog that Shido hasn't already tasted.

 **Author's Note- This will not be the only Xmas themed fic that I will do. If you do not read the others, then , Merry Christmas**

 **-Best Wishes**

 **Azurknight1**


End file.
